NickMortensen.com

Not too long ago,I wrote some material  that touched on my personal admiration for Brett Favre over the years.  With all this talk about his possible comeback, I thought I'd test whether I can get away with writing something up about it on the Press Gazette's new website.  (The Musings are re-published there without the swears)

I call the material "Gay for Favre" and I'm always tickled to perform it.  It touches on what Brett Favre means to me as I grow older, what Brett Favre has meant to me over the years, and how conflicted I feel over having such a profound and intense admiration for a man that I've never actually met.

Gay for Favre isn't meant to be mean to anyone.  It is about a level of profound appreciation that a ton of men and women seem to have for Brett Favre  that goes beyond ordinary fandom. Women come up to me after shows and admit that they've often wondered just how intense their boyfriend/husband's mancrush on Brett Favre is.  Men come up to me and tell me that they've discussed it with their wives/girlfriends and they've decided that it wouldn't really be cheating if it were with Brett Favre.  These people are from all over the country- not just from Wisconsin or northeast Wisconsin.

Nobody is theoretically letting Peyton Manning nail their old lady in Indiana.  Maybe Mellencamp,  but not Peyton Manning. 

I admire Brett Favre  as much for what he means as what he's done on the field.  He embodies an ideal work ethic for any Midwesterner.  He's always struck me as a reliable and humble person in an industry where inconsistency and ego are not only tolerated- but celebrated.  I think his toughness has colored a lot of people's opinions about me over the years for the better.  I think  many people around the world actually think-You'd best not mess with anyone from Green Bay, they are tough enough to make you regret it- on account of Brett Favre.

The fact that Brett has extended his career beyond that of all  of his peers allows me to stay young in my mind.  I turned 30 this year and being 30 has made me face up to the fact that I am aging in all the ways people can age.  Most of them are admittedly for the better, but I still know that I have to accept it where I must and slow it down where I can.  

An aside on aging...  Just last week I was honestly outraged at where teenagers are letting their pants droop down to nowadays. That is a story for another blog, but you can see my point. I remember old timers chastising me for the same infraction just ten years ago.  In my defense,  pants are below people's rear ends now and it seems to fly in the face of the inherent logic of pants (to cover one's rear end), but what matters is that I am not able to comprehend this.  I'm too old to be able to understand it.

I can love the Packers in the same way if Brett comes back for one more year.  I want it more than I want most things. It is just easier to live and die with a football team starting a quarterback that allows you to remember who you were at the age of 15 than it is to do with a quarterback that was in 5th grade when you graduated high school. 

Another year of Brett at QB means you and  I can deny that we're aging for 12 more months  It means the same for Brett. 

Being "Gay for..." something just means that the level of love you have for  something extends beyond what is typical.  I know people that are "Gay for Coffee" or were "Totally Gay for The New Kids on the Block". 

 
Admit it,  you are just as "Gay for Favre" as I am.   

Here's hoping he comes back to play another year.